During pregnancy, a mother's musculature becomes unbalanced to accommodate the growing baby. The muscles of the mother's pelvic floor and those of the mother's abdomen are stretched beyond their normal range. Other muscles, such as those of the mother's lower back, buttocks, shoulders, and neck, also undergo abnormal stresses as the changing shape of the mother's body requires different and more strenuous movements to accomplish even the simplest of tasks.
After pregnancy, a mother's body changes as well. The muscles of the mother's pelvic floor and those of the mother's abdomen are left weakened and over-stretched. A mother also spends a tremendous amount of time bending and stretching to pick up and carry the baby, pick up baby toys, install baby gear, and the like. The load from these activities and the resultant stress on the mother's body increases as the child grows and becomes more active. Injury and/or chronic pain may result.
Post-natal exercise frequently is recommended for new mothers in an attempt to restore strength and muscle tone to the mother's body. However, a problem arises in that the demands on a mother's time from children and the mother's other responsibilities frequently prevent the mother from engaging in a regular exercise program. In addition, mothers often are reluctant to leave babies, toddlers, or young children with another party while engaging in an exercise program. If a mother attempts to exercise in the presence of her baby, toddler, or young child, it is often the case that the baby, toddler, or young child will become distracted by the surroundings. This, in turn, will distract the mother from her program of exercise.
For the foregoing reasons, it is desired to provide a system for exercise addressing the needs of mothers of babies, toddlers, and/or young children. The desired system will aid new mothers in restoring strength and muscle tone to the mother's body. The desired system also will include features attractive to and educational for babies, toddlers, and young children. By use of the desired system, a mother will be able to engage in an exercise program while engaging her baby, toddler, and/or young child in educational and developmental activities.